


Come Away I Bid Thee

by MrMissMrsRandom



Category: Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Another take on vampires, F/M, First Meetings, Gen, Immortal Tedium, Modern AU, self-questioning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 03:25:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15015602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrMissMrsRandom/pseuds/MrMissMrsRandom
Summary: Lachesis is searching for some inspiration. She finds Azelle instead, but that turns out to be not so terrible.





	Come Away I Bid Thee

**Author's Note:**

> Lachesis and Eldigan are leannán sídhe in this fic, fairies who grant their lovers’ artistic inspiration but doom them to brief lives. I’ve seen different sources also say that this exchange is due to the vampiric way the fairy takes their lover’s life force.

In the millennia she and her brother ascended from the underground kingdom where they were born to mingle with mortal company, Lachesis had noticed an interesting point of interest in her brother’s feeding habits.

The fallen aristocrat trying to make a living through her painting, the widower penning a masterpiece by night and does hard labor to feed his family during the day, the playwright whose performances would draw many in the present day, but sent him to the gallows before Eldigan took his last sips off his soul.

Lachesis swung her legs in a rather unladylike way to hook over the arm of the couch as she watched Eldigan work out the knots in his tie in front of the hallway mirror. They were in an apartment that one of Lachesis’s more recent artists had given to her paid off. It was in an upper-crust neighborhood that was rife with bored heirs or overworked business moguls and their neglected spouses. An excellent place for both of them to go fishing for slight snacks in between lovers.

Eldigan knew she was watching him, but his handsome face remained focused on his reflection as he finished. “I’m out of habit with these. At least the new styles aren’t as cumbersome as the previous fashions…”

He was preparing to get drinks with a friend. Eldigan insisted on the friend part, but with how particular her brother was getting on his appearance, Lachesis expected him to move out any day now. Their kind was never meant to make friends among humans.

“You know what conclusion I’ve come to, Eldigan?” Lachesis reached for one of the throw pillows to squeeze between her well-manicured fingers.

Eldigan had finished with his tie and turned his head towards her, showing Lachesis that she had his attention. He was dressed in a dark suit with accents of maroon in his tie and a crisp white shirt. That shade of red brought out the currant color of his eyes. She knew this because it had the same effect on her.

“You’re attracted to the bright stars that are already doomed to burn out.”

Eldigan blinked a few times at his little sister pointed out his preferences “Is that an insult?”

Lachesis rolled her eyes. “I mean don’t you ever feel like you’re in a rut? All that hope and tragedy rolled into one sounds so… dull after a while.”

“I suppose it’s a difference of taste.” Eldigan joked. “You don’t seem to have a type.”

“No human could ever compare to you, brother dear.” Lachesis threw back in a similar joking fashion, but after he tousled her hair on his way out the door, she was left to ponder the words. It was true; she was not particularly choosy about what lovers she took.

That mercenary with an unexpected talent for song that she picked up soon after leaving the barrows. The young soldier still mourning his lost liege lord that found some solace in her arms and guiding his movements as he wrote an epic account of a continent-wide war, the woman that made blades dance with her body’s actions in a way unknown to Lachesis’s lands. They all had something that attracted her to them, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

That thought kept buzzing around her head so much that even the lavish apartment was too small to contain it, so she slipped into one of her various cocktail dresses and went out to see if an answer would come.

(~)

After two hours of walking the streets pondering like the starving artists she usually fed off of, Lachesis had not come to a definite answer. She wondered why Eldigan’s comment bothered her so much. It was infuriating, but she couldn’t say why. What did it matter what souls she consumed? It wasn’t as if she fed indiscriminately, and she gave them what they craved the most in return: fame, inspiration, recognition.

She needed a wine break, but the closest establishment was obviously meant for university students, though the clientele was low for the evening. Well, Lachesis could pass for one of them in looks, if not in style. She sat at the bar and ordered the house red before scanning the room out of habit. A small group in the corner eating some fried snacks and beer, a professor with a glass grading papers-

When Lachesis’s eyes settled on the only other patron at the bar, she did a quick double-take. Wide-eyed with a heart-shaped face and red hair trimmed in a boyish cut. Lachesis wondered if the bartender had forgotten in the lax evening to check for ID. The bags under his eyes were the only assurance that maybe he wasn’t as young as he looked.

When her wine came, Lachesis took a sip to find it didn’t taste as bad as she expected, and she moved closer, so only one stool remained between her and the boy. He was, surprisingly, also drinking wine.

Lachesis sipped her wine, not making any comment until she felt the boy’s draw towards her, as most eyes did.

“You know, there’s more room at the counter.” He replied, voice slightly rough. That wine in his glass probably wasn’t his first of the night.

“I decided I wanted to try for some conversation,” Lachesis replied. She decided to try something different from her usual tactics. If she overwhelmed him too soon, he would probably turn-tail and run. “A penny for your thoughts?”

That got a small smile out of him.“I didn’t think anyone used that phrase anymore.”

Lachesis’s perfectly painted lips pulled into a frown, before tossing her hair and asking the bartender for another round for two. “Then how about a drink?”

His name was Azelle and was, in fact, a Teacher’s Assistant rather than a student. And like what drew most people to drink, it was sorrow over love. A sweet and pretty medical student had turned him down.

“She thinks I’m just some- some kid,” Azelle’s impassioned response was cut off by a hiccup. “When I’m not, nobody assumes that I’ve struggled. And I thought taking this career would show that I was serious about making a difference, about being seen for myself.”

“What is it that you teach?”

“…Introductory English.” Azelle mumbled. Ah, the rejection was only the shallow end.

Lachesis snorted, but hid most of it behind her hand. “You never know, maybe you inspire your students more than you expect.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Azelle took a deep sip from his glass, and Lachesis watched a tad spill out and down his chin with unusual interest. On a regular night, this would be the time she offered to give poor dejected fools like Azelle a choice for something more, or if they were pretty enough (like he was), she would tell him to take her back to his place. She would play the “muse” and act how they wanted. Like that medical student that he was so lovesick for, perhaps.

But now she actually listened to him, she felt… different this time. Was this pity? It didn’t feel like how all those works of art described it, so probably not.

Lachesis put payment for all their drinks on the counter, then got to her to her feet and ushered Azelle to follow. He looked confused, but then obeyed. They were roughly the same height since Lachesis chose lower heels for walking.

“Where are we going?” Azelle asked.

“A walk, late dinner, maybe some dancing with music that lasts longer than a season,” Lachesis replied bluntly. Far more blunt than how she usually acted with potential lovers. “A way for you to get over your slump, and me to ease my mind.”

Maybe this would give her some sort of answer.


End file.
